In an interview with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt on Sirius XM NFL Radio, Ebron was asked if that was an accurate statement that he expects to be drafted by the Lions.

“That was one of the teams,” Ebron said. “This is me quoting me. I said if I had my choice of the teams that are high upon me right now that I believe are high on me, it was the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions. Those are the two teams that I believe are the highest upon me. Now are they telling the same things they are telling me to everybody else? I don’t know. But from my perspective and my point of view, those are the two teams that I believe if they could have signed me that day would have.”

Both the Bills and Lions have options at the tight end position. Detroit has Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria. Buffalo has Scott Chandler and Lee Smith in place. Neither team is in desperate need of help at tight end. With both teams holding top 10 selections – Buffalo with the 9th overall pick, Detroit at 10 – they would likely have to take Ebron with their top selection if they truly want him.

At this stage in the draft process, it’s still difficult to predict what the Houston Texans will do with the No. 1 overall pick. Trying to peg what Buffalo and Detroit will do at the back-end of the top 10 is that much more of a challenge. Maybe Ebron is right, but he’ll have to wait until May 8 to find out for sure.

The Lions also have a low round draft pick in Michael Williams that went on IR before the season started. They could always stash him on the Practice Squad to make room for Ebron, but then who is the odd man out of the TE group the next year? Did we really need to spend that money on Pettigrew instead of a different position if they are going to draft Ebron?

I would be really surprised if they took him at 10, but then again I also think they are trading up or down so it won’t matter.

elliottcovert says:Apr 22, 2014 12:02 AM

Buffalo would make a lot more sense than Detroit in my view. The Lions already have pretty good options at that position with Pettigrew and company.

However, talented as Ebron is, the top half of the first round is pretty high for a tight end. A lot of people are high on Ebron, so maybe he’s talented enough to merit a pick that high, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes later than pick #11 based on where tight ends have been drafted historically.

arnoldziffel says:Apr 22, 2014 12:12 AM

Green Bay will take him with the 21st pick if he’s still available. There are a few mock drafts out there that show that scenario happening.

But with that said, I don’t think he’ll still be on the board at 21.

kappy32 says:Apr 22, 2014 12:40 AM

I don’t like the idea of taking a TE with a top 15 pick. I am a big NY Giants fan & on Giants’ blogs fans are clammoring for Jerry Reese to take him. I would love to see the Giants take Kelvin Benjamin over Ebron in a second. At best, Benjamin could be Randy Moss 2.0; at worst, he is Alshon Jeffrey 2.0. Not too bad if you ask me. As for Ebron, he isn’t head & shoulders better than the other TEs in the draft. In the 3 main combine drills, he ranks 2nd, 2nd, 3rd amongst TEs (40, Vert., Bench). I don’t think the drop off between Ebron & a guy like Troy Niklas is very much. Niklas is rated as a mid-to-late 2nd rounder, but he is a hell of a player. I am just as big of a Notre Dame fan as I am a Giants fan & I watch them every Saturday. In my opinion, Niklas is better than the 2 ND TEs to come before him, both first rounders, too (Kyle Rudolph & Tyler Eifert). The only reason why Niklas isn’t a first rounder is because he had a crap QB throwing him the ball last year in Tommy Rees. Had Everett Golson not cheated on his final exam & got suspended, Niklas would’ve put up monster numbers & would be an easy first round choice. Nevertheless, I feel that taking a TE before pick 15 is too early to take one. It is especially true with Ebron who appears to be another workout warrior, seeing his draft stock rise after a great combine. We have seen numerous players benefit from that, namely Vernon Gholston. How did that work out?

stewart09 says:Apr 22, 2014 12:56 AM

Don’t do it Detroit he’s a really good receiver but very average as a blocker if your taking a TE in the top 10 you want him to be a Vernon Davis level talent.

At first I was bummed about this, as I have been hoping for some time he would slip to Baltimore at 17. HOWEVER… it looks like Sefarian-Jenkins is really jumping up a ton of draft boards and is hoovering around 20 right now. Also if you look at the drop off from Ebron to a guy like Jace Amaro it’s not HUGE. Amaro’s a guy with a 2nd round grade (low 30’s), and with Pitta and Daniels in place, it would give the Ravens some time to work on a project like Amaro and use the 1st on another position.

There is no way the lions draft him. Too much money and weapons on offense already. Only offense player they make take is Sammy Watkins but they would need to trade up. Hopefully this draft is focused on the defense!

I see it this way; if Watkins is on the board at 4, we trade with Cleveland, get Watkins and the Browns then feel better about pulling the trigger on Carr.
Otherwise the Leos trade down, no way they take a TE at 10.

There are some that would say the lions are crazy to pass on a safety or a corner. The have enough in house to test and evaluate this coming season. Get that offense in play if possible. That front line needs 2.5-3 seconds to get opposing QB’s running for there skins. The back end will hold well if the opposing QB is always throwing to catch up. Rise Lions, get Ebron! Weapons for Stafford and Co. can never be enough!